Sony introduces lightning-fast RX100 V compact camera

Sony continues to consolidate its position as a photography powerhouse. The Japanese tech giant introduced the new RX100 V camera on Thursday. The pocket cam is packed with new cutting-edge features like faster focusing, fast shooting, and 4K video capabilities. The company also unveiled another premium camera, the A6500.

The reveal by Sony follows the announcement of two action cameras in September, both with 4K video support and excellent optical image stabilization. The company also showcased new cameras and lenses at the IFA 2016 earlier last month in the German capital of Berlin.

In other fields, the company prepares to officially launch its virtual reality add-on for the PlayStation 4, the PS VR. The gaming system will hit stores in the U.S. and Europe on October 13.

Sony RX100 V: Specs and Features

The new portable camera is the fifth in the line of the RX100 series under Sony’s Cyber-shot brand. It sports an all aluminum body and comes exclusively in black. The body’s design is based on old fashioned cameras, and it includes a flexible XGA OLED TruFinder viewer.

The RX100 V, whose full model name is DSC – RX100M5, comes equipped with a ZEISS Vario-Sonnar 24-70 mm lens, with 1.8 and 2.8 apertures respectively. The company also included the latest image sensing technology in the form of an Exmor RS CMOS sensor.

65% of that sensor is dedicated to the “world’s fastest” AF system, according to Sony. The Fast Hybrid AF system in the RX100 V places 315 detection points on the camera’s sensor to provide focused images in just 0.005 seconds. The company claims the focus is not affected by the sudden motion of the camera or the subject.

Also, the Japanese tech giant packs a new LSI chip for the camera’s image processing system. The new internal hardware on the RX100 V together with its AF system grant the camera with the capacity to shoot 150 pictures in full 20.1 MP resolution at 24 fps without any quality loss.

Both of these features also make it possible to record 4K video and slow-motion video at high data rate speeds of 100 Mbps. Slow-motion options start at 250 fps and go up to 1000 fps, though the RX100 V can only record in this mode for a few seconds at a time.

Sony RX100 V: Price and Availability

Such state-of-the-art optics technology in such a compact body does not come at a low price.

The RX100 V will retail for $1000 in the U.S. A waterproof casing for the camera will be sold separately as an accessory for $300. There is not an official price for the European market, but the company said the camera would arrive there in November.